Nathan Fillion knows that a “man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” to quote his now infamous Captain Hammer from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.  And on his new show, Castle, what a man (in this case, Richard Castle, best-selling author) has to do (besides be adorably charming) is follow around a pretty homicide detective (Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic) in an effort to help her find the serial killer behind the life-imitates-art murder spree that brings to life the fictional killings in Castle’s latest novel.  [Spoiler alert] Once the case is solved, Castle brings his unique vision to the homicide division (and to Kate’s dismay) to gather ideas for his future novels, and offer insight into their unsolvable crimes.

I had the great privilege of spending some time with Mr. Castle himself last week, to talk about why he loves the show, why he thinks you’ll love the show, and how he, too, busts out some Dr. Horrible now and again, too!

I’m very excited for CASTLE!  I saw the first few episodes, and I’m already hooked. I think that you and Stana have a great chemistry.
Thank you for that.  We’re on episode 10, I feel like I’ve kind of lost my gauge.  I don’t remember the first few episodes. 

What about Rick Castle made you want to play him?
Oh that’s easy!  I wanted to do, in my job, things that I don’t get to do in my real life.  I wanted to have a little more adventure; I wanted to have a little more action-y kind of fun.  Richard Castle treats every day like a field trip, like he’s a kid on vacation.  He is so excited at the beginning of every day. He really lives for this excitement that he’s having with this detective Kate Beckett.  She’s a homicide detective, doing her job, and he is thrilled to pieces to be there.  He’s rather excitable.  And I really enjoy that joie de vive that he has.

You said that you’re up to episode 10.  Is there a favorite episode so far that you’ve enjoyed the most?
I will tell you this.  I was thrilled about the pilot.  I lived in New York for three years, I worked on a soap opera there for three years, I did a 44 minute show every day.  I could have been in South Carolina as far as anyone knew because I was never outside.  I was always in this little tiny studio.  This was my first time going to New York and filming on the streets of New York.  It was a lifelong dream fulfilled, and it was exciting!

There’s a different feeling to a show shot outside versus a show shot on a sound stage somewhere.
Agreed.  Then we trip off to Los Angeles, and now we’re filming LA for New York.  Often we go downtown.  We were there just yesterday.  They had these incredible areas in downtown LA.  I lived in New York, I know what it looks like.  I’m looking around these areas of LA.  I was like, I didn’t know we had that in LA.  These incredible restaurants, these incredible stores and shops, incredible areas that look you’re living in New York.  People are doing loft living in downtown LA. 

You can walk one block in LA and it’s like you’re in New York.   Another block, you’re in Vancouver. 
It’s exactly that way.  I’m so surprised.  You heard the shock my voice, it went so high!

Why do you think audiences will relate to this show?
If people are like me and watch a crime drama, and they say, oh that would have been a really good joke there if he only went for it.  There was a call back, all you have to do is say that would have been a good joke.  On Castle, we go for it.  The humor in life.  On Castle, we try to find the life.  We’re not all dark, driven, and haunted.  It’s people doing their job, going out there.  There’s comedy in life.  On Castle, we find it.

Exactly – the show is dark to a degree of this death or crime in every episode, but it’s still very light. 
You know, we talked to some real homicide detectives when we were in New York.  These guys were hilarious.  Not brooding, driven, haunted.  Certainly, they’re driven, but they’re not haunted individuals that are worn in by life and all of the darkness they see.  They were hilarious.  They were amazing.

What I liked, too, is that your character has this personal life.  He has the daughter, and his mother.  Just the interaction with this young woman – it’s a fun, different take on the family we’re used to seeing on TV.
Exactly.  It turns the nuclear family upside down.  He’s got this 15 year old daughter that is more so his mother.  And then he’s got his mother that he is more so a mother to.  He parents his own mother while his daughter parents him.

Why should people watch?
It’s me! [we both laugh]

That’s the reason I was so excited about it, to be honest!   And a lot of people I talk to are looking forward to it because it’s you.
Thanks.  You know what, I’m excited, too.  I read the script, and I got excited.  I was 15 pages into reading this pilot, I stopped, I turned to my girlfriend and I said, “I’m going to start again from the beginning and read it out loud to you.  You tell me that this isn’t going to be a lot of fun.”  And it was.  It’s a very fun show.  I think people are going to tune in because it’s fun.  I need another word for fun.

But fun is just a great way to describe it.  It’s fun!
It is entertainment.  It is going to be entertainment.

I have to say that there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t bust out some Dr. Horrible. 
Thank you!

Just yesterday, I was belting out a little “A Man’s Gotta Do”
You know what, I did that the day before yesterday, so almost right in tune!

And I got my Paley Tickets, so I’ll be out there for that.  Any word on a sequel?
No word yet.  You know what, I’m not the guy to ask.  Ha, I’m always the last guy to find out.  I’m hoping we’re going to get some news at Paley.

Be sure to tune into tonight’s premiere of CASTLE on ABC after DANCING WITH THE STARS at 10/9 central.  And come this April, look for the Dr. Horrible cast at a “Paley Center for Media in LA” near you!